FILE - In this July 27, 2009, file photo, Buffalo Bills' James Hardy catches a pas during NFL football training camp at St. John Fisher College in Pittsford, N.Y. The death of Hardy, a former NFL wide receiver has been ruled a suicide. The Allen County Coroner's Office said Wednesday, July 19, 2017, that the 31-year-old died of "asphyxia due to drowning." Hardy's body was found June 7 in a logjam at a dam along the Maumee River in his hometown of Fort Wayne, Ind. (AP Photo/David Duprey, File)

Former NFL receiver James Hardy's death ruled a suicide

Jul. 19, 2017

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) — The death of former NFL wide receiver James Hardy has been ruled a suicide by Indiana officials.

The Allen County Coroner's Office said Wednesday that the 31-year-old Hardy died of "asphyxia due to drowning." Michael Burris, chief investigator for the coroner's office, says the determination of suicide was based on Hardy's medical and psychiatric history, his contacts with law enforcement and other evidence, including some found on his body.

Hardy's body was found June 7 at a dam along the Maumee River in his hometown of Fort Wayne. Relatives had reported the former Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens player missing a few weeks earlier.

The former Indiana star was a second-round pick of the Bills in 2008. Injuries limited him to 16 games over two seasons. He also played for Baltimore before being released in 2011.